It's All In The Race
by Aria Sparks
Summary: Lily Evans: Racing driver. Not exactly what you'd expect. She spends her whole life racing but what'll happen when her past catches up with her and her old boyfriend? My first fic, please read and reveiw. I know it's a naff title too :
1. The Race

Disclaimer: I own nothing. If I did I'd have a better computer.

**It's all in the Race**

'I am fast… I can win… I can beat all of them.' Lily Evans sat in her car psyching herself up for the big race. This was her big chance to impress one of the big sponsors into giving her a deal. Not only that but she could win the tyre spin cup, one of the most prestigious prizes in the whole of car racing. 'Twenty-seven competitors. One winner. Twenty-six losers. This is my race.'

She drove slowly forward in her car, Emerald Blaze. She'd chosen the name herself. Not to mention the fact she helped build it. She knew the car better than anyone else. Mainly because she'd never let anyone else drive it and she wasn't about to either. She had to win. It would mean huge publicity. Not to mention the new sponsor. She was fresh into the big races, a rookie but that didn't mean anything, not since she'd thrashed them a couple a couple of times anyway.

She gave a quick look out the window and smiled at her pit team. 'Thanks guys, you know, we're gonna win this one. We just have to, you know, focus.' With a last thumbs up she drove slowly onto the track.

'Hey, hey baby.' Lily smirked out of the window as the stupid jerk drove up next to her. 'I thought you'd want congratulate me on my imminent victory.' The jerk was a guy called Charlie. Tall, tanned and blonde with nought but a conceited smirk you'd think he was made for the competition, which was completely true. He'd been in the racing circuit for two years but hadn't managed to win anything.

'Imminent victory? More like imminent failure. If you're lucky, which you might be given your past record, you'll make third, but if you think you're gonna win you sorely mistaken.' Lily smirked back at him waiting for his usual biting remark but she was surprised.

'The winds of change are in the air Evans, just you wait and see.' With that he moved off into his start position.

'The winds of change are in the air Evans.' Lily muttered scathingly, 'Stupid jerk.'

'Talking to yourself again Lils? Not a good sign you know. You'll be mad before the end of next season.'

Lily looked across at the aging man. 'Hey King, you really aren't one to talk you know after all. I learnt from the best.' Lily grinned cheekily. Lily had followed King for as long as she'd been into racing. He was the best in the world. She remembered when he was a rookie too.

'I thought I'd say congrats for getting on the same row as me. It's nice to know I've got you just behind me, you know that way I got a clear run with you fighting off all the others behind me.' He grinned.

'Don't know where you got the idea I was staying behind you from. You really should stop getting these allusions, they won't do you much good in the long run.' Lily tried to look sympathetic but ended up giggling as King pulled a face. 'Good luck anyway. I'll see you when I finish my victory lap.'

'You should be so lucky, but the same to you.'

Only now as Lily pulled up in her space did she notice the crowd. The crowd. Oh how she loved adoring fans, particularly if they were handsome. She noticed some of them sporting emerald and black. Her colours. With distaste she also noticed the boy racer red as well. They were Charlie's supporters. They should be in for disappointment she hoped they had tissues. Then on top of the stands were the camera's they annoyed her. Always in your face, just like reporters always fabricating stories if you were seen talking to anybody they don't expect you to be. It was ridiculous.

'I'm fast…I can win…I will win.' Lily was ready. She revved the car waiting for the warm up lap. The cars started moving forward. Lily didn't really pay that much attention as she drove she was concentrating on the track gauging the amount wheel spin and the amount of grip. Testing the lines she'd decided on.

She pulled up next to King on the front row. She revved the engine and repeated the mantra once more. She revved as the first light went red. Second… Third… Fourth… Fifth…

As the lights flashed she sped off twenty-five cars right behind her. She had to get to the front. King was the only one in front of her. She couldn't over take yet. She'd just have to stick with him. But that was what he was expecting. He'd said so. In a way anyway. She pressed the accelerator and felt the car surge underneath her. She'd need to use that speed later. Could she risk it? If she picked the pace of the race up this early it would mean that it might go up too far and she wouldn't be able to keep up, but at the moment she was in dangerous waters.

'Well as today's race begins it promises to be a good one. We got three people all with an equal chance to win the cup. The question on everyone's lips is who is it gonna be?' the commentator's voice floated across the stadium as the crowd roared as Charlie's red slash over took three cars on a corner. 'That was a spectacular move as young Charlie Crossleigh moves up the field. A bright spark on the racing horizon is this boy. Just like the lovely young lady in the emerald blaze currently in second place behind the world champion Jason King. Who will it be? The bookies are favouring Jason King but I don't know Evans is looking pretty promising and just very pretty in general.'

Lily was still debating with herself over what to do. Which lap were they on? Another half a lap and she would be able to tell. Should she overtake? It couldn't be that many more laps there were only seventeen. It was getting close, several people had already tried to challenge her position, she smirked to herself, she'd seen them off with a simple cut off.

She glanced out the window. In shock she swerved. Charlie used it to his advantage. 'Shit! Idiot girl,' Lily cursed. She'd just let the slimy git get in front of her. Now she stood a one in three chance. She knew Charlie wanted this cup. She may have said that he didn't stand a chance but she knew it wasn't true. What could she do? She tried to cut underneath him as they came to a long corner but he'd anticipated the move. She could try and use her speed to boost her past him. She put her weight on the accelerator. The car surged. It knew what she wanted. She twisted the steering wheel but Charlie blocked. She quickly dove up the other side of him. He shunted left.

Lily was pushed onto the gravel. Her tyres span before gripping. 'I hate him. The toad. Git. Jerk. Prat. Oh fudge.' She'd dropped back to fifth place. And she needed more fuel. She sped toward the pit lane knowing that her team would be ready for her.

Seven seconds not bad. Those who hadn't gone into the pits on this lap would have to go in on the next one. They couldn't make it all the way the tyres would give out. Atleast she hoped they would. Four laps to go. She could make up the time. She pulled out overtaking the slow cars blocking her way. She had to make up the time she couldn't lose. All the hard work would have been for nothing.

She was back to sixth. She could take the lead. Of course she could she was Lily Evans. She could do anything. Even magic. But she'd left that behind. It was irrelevant on the racetrack. There's a gap. She throttled the car and surged through the gap. Fourth… three laps to go. Suddenly Lucky, the guy in front made a move on Charlie's car up the inside. Lily saw her chance as Charlie shunted Lucky. She whipped past up the outside. Second and two laps to go. Now there was only King in the way. Should she let him win? After all, it was his last race. What if she only beat him by a little bit? Yeah that would be good. Then he'd get the glory but she'd win the cup.

She moved left to try a tight line on the inside. To her dismay so did King. 'Git, he knew I'd do that' Lily muttered to herself. 'I can win this!' Suddenly a thought hit her not just any thought. A fabulous thought. A stupendous thought. Lily took the tight line into the next corner. As she saw King do it. She flattened her foot on the accelerator as they came out of the corner and the steering wheel around toward the window. She passed up next to King. One lap. She slipped past smoothly. Now it was Kings turn to deal with Charlie.

She was pushing the car as hard as she could. For heavens sake they couldn't do anything else. They wouldn't catch her now. Then a thought that had been floating around in her head came to consciousness again. She was going to let King come a close second. Now she only had half a lap left. Could she risk it? Of course she could. She was still Lily Evans and Lily Evans could do anything.

On this thought she did the unthinkable in a race. She slowed down intentionally. Almost instantly the cars were upon her. What she hadn't expected was that Charlie's car was alongside King's. That really wasn't the plan what should she do they were almost at the line. Should she pull ahead? But what about her plan? Argh there wasn't enough time.

All at once the cars crossed the line. The crowd were practically wetting themselves. What had happened? Who won the cup?

A.N.

My first Fic. Please Read and Reveiw. I'd really appreciate it.


	2. No Freakin' Way

Disclaimer: I know I already did this. Check the first chapter if you don't believe me. J

Lily pulled into the pit lane listening to the commentary. 'Well, well, well folks. We certainly didn't expect that to happen. We're still waiting for the results to come through with the winner of the tyre spin cup. What an amazing race though by all the cars!' The commentator was really starting to get on Lily's nerves. He just had to build the tension. She didn't want any bloomin' tension, she wanted to know if she'd won! Why was she even questioning herself, of course she'd won. She was Lily Evans after all, and Lily Evans could do anything.

It had been close though. She shrugged and climbed out of the car to wave at the fans but was immediately engulfed by her best friend and chief mechanic Melody West. 'That race was awesome! Great driving out there Lils!' Melody, or Dee as she preferred to be called, grinned broadly 'I can't wait to see the look on Boxers face when he sees that a girl beat his "oh so fabulous" driver. Honestly, he was gloating to me all through the early stages about how Charlie was gonna win. Conceited loser.'

Dee had been Lily's best friend for years. They'd met through a pen pal scheme at school. Not that either of them talked about their education. Dee was the same sort of height as Lily, 5 foot 8", had slightly curly, messy black hair down to just below her shoulders and lightish blue eyes. Like Lily she was on the thin side and would never be seen in a skirt. Above all though she was the best mechanic on the whole Touring cars circuit.

'I wish they'd hurry up and give the results. I'm gonna start pulling my hair out in a minute.' Lily complained frustrated. She looked up surprised to find she'd been moved from her car into the garage. Somewhere along the lines a baseball cap had been placed on her head with the sponsor plastered all over it.

'You really shouldn't worry. I'd stop you before you did any real damage to your hair.'

'Ha ha,' Said Lily sarcastically staring at the grinning Dee 'I don't know what I'd do without you.'

'Lose all your races. If you weren't my best friend I'd be off with one of those big sponsors making loads and loads of money.'

Lily just rolled her eyes 'well bestest best buddy, best pal, I'll make sure we don't get into an argument then. Oh come on! Where are the frikkin results!' It shouldn't take this long to announce them; after all they only had to look at the stupid picture. Lily got up and started pacing. She felt stupid doing this so she thought she'd better go and do the whole celebrity thing.

As soon as she walked outside she was greeted with loud yells. 'Miss Evans! Miss Evans! How does it feel to be one of the first ever rookies to stand a chance in the cup? Miss Evans, what are your plans for the future? Miss Evans, do you have a boyfriend?' What is it with these people? Don't they have a life? Unfortunately for Lily she didn't get a chance to answer any questions before she was yanked toward a large woman. Oh dear God, please don't let it be her Lily thought desperately knowing that it was already to late.

'Lillian darling,' the large woman exclaimed loudly 'you weren't going to talk to these nice reporters all by yourself were you?' The woman sounded as though she was scolding a five year old.

'Marilyn,' Lily simpered whilst mentally throwing up 'How lovely to see you. How many times though? Please call me _Lily_.'

'Lillian darling, you do say the funniest things.' Marilyn gave a loud laugh. She started to steer Lily back toward the press. 'Now Lillian, I need you to speak to the nice reporters and tell them how much you love "Madam Marilyn's Magic Nerves Cure" and how it helps you get through all your races.' With that Marilyn exhumed a cloud a cigarette smoke in Lily's face.

Lily pulled a face making her way over to the podium. A dozen flashes went off in front of her eyes. These people really don't have a life. 'Miss Evans, who do you think won? Miss Evans, what do you plan to do when you find out you've won? Miss Evans, are the rumours true that you're moving to Rosella's rather than your current sponsor?'

'People please.' Lily spoke into the microphone 'Have you never heard the phrase one at a time?' Lily sighed in frustration. Always hundreds of questions, don't they realise they'd achieve more if they gave you a chance to answer before shouting at you again? 'First question please.'

'Miss Evans, do you feel confident about today's race?'

'I try to be confident in most things I do, if I went out there thinking I was gonna lose I wouldn't be here now.' She'd be at home on her own with nobody. Instead she gets you lot hounding her every time she's seen in a car.

'Lily, you have a huge fan base considering you're just a rookie. How do you feel knowing that there's hundreds of people out there watching you race?' nosy toad.

'It's great knowing that people believe in you. It's the thing that always kept me going,' until the person she cared about most stopped believing.

'Miss Evans, are the rumours about your sponsor change to Rosella's true?'

'Of course they are. I just haven't been told anything about it.' Lily's nerves were starting to get the better of her. She needed to know who won.

Behind her a speaker clicked into action. Finally. She was going to be announced as the winner atleast she should be, but what if she wasn't? Of course she'd won. She was Lily Evans and, as she constantly told herself, she could do anything.

'Ladies and gentlemen, as we all know it has been an amazing race here today and we have yet to announce the winner.'

'Hey Evans.' Oh god, it was Charlie. 'What'd I tell you. The winds of change, Evans, the winds of change.'

'Charlie, you and I both know that I thrashed you and the only reason there'll be winds of change is because the air will smell a lot worse after I shove a wrench up your nose.'

'No need to get nasty Evans, I was only wondering if you'd want to accompany today's winner out to dinner this evening.'

'You're right; I don't want to go by myself. Thanks Charlie, I'll remember to tell Melody we're going out tonight.' With a smirk Lily turned away from Charlie back to the speaker.

'So without further ado, today's winner was…. no-one….' You could have a pin drop in the loud resonating silence. 'Today's race was a three way tie.'

'No freakin' way. Not in a million years. It can't be a tie. That's just wrong. Argh.' Lily was beside herself as she kicked a stone on the floor. That was when the flashes started again.

'This is literally unheard of in the whole of racing history. This means folks, that there will be an additional race to the season, which will take place two weeks today at the new racetrack Puddletown. What a brilliant end to the main season.'

'Don't look so smug now Evans.' That was the last thing Charlie said before he lay on the ground holding his shin to his chest.

A.N.

Thanks so much to everyone who read and reviewed this story. I am so sorry it's taken me so long to upload this chapter but I'm doing my coursework at school and it counts for quite a big part of my final grade so please bear with me. This story IS going to continue it just may take a little while. Please R and R it really does make me feel so happy J

Aria


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